Calvin Pace to LB?

[CardinalChris]

I think it does point to AZ liking their rookie DTs enough to move King outside with Antronio Smith and Pace to SOLB. It adds a lot of depth to a couple of positions.

 

[football karma]

This is the time of year you experiment with things like this

If he shows he can play the position, it gives Clancy lots of options

It adds depth to two positions, and give the Cards the option to switch back and forth between 4-3 and 3-4 sets

 

[Shane]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you. I'm in the mode of "show me" when it comes to players like Calvin Pace. IMO, he was a poor choice in that draft, and he hasn't lived up to billing since. He's been replaced by two very very good free agents in Bert and Chike, mainly because the coaching staff doesn't have confidence in him.

Check it out, Denny arrives, immediately upgrades the DE position with Berry. Pace gets moved to LE. Pace has 4 early sacks in 2004, getting all our hopes up, then basically tanks the rest of the season.

2005, Denny again replaces Pace with a FA DE and Pace is relegated to the bench. He barely sees action, then stupidly hurts himself, Thomas Jones-style, and the team considers withholding his pay for the non-football injury and possibly cutting him. He's lucky to still be on the team.

IMO, the bet against Calvin is the most likely one. He hasn't shown anything at the pro level, and his coaches constantly replace him for underperforming. Couple that with idiocy off the field, and he doesn't appear to be a very valuable player.

Of course I could be wrong, and I hope I am because I'd love to see him do well.

I just don't see it happening.

We will have to agree to disagree then. But When Pace was healthy he was playing quite often and wa splaying well. If you can go out and get guys like a berry and Okeafor you do it. To me thats really no knock on Pace. He is talented enough to be in the NFL maybe even at LBer.

 

[CardinalChris]

First of all what happened in his house is no measure of his football smarts in any way shape or form. It was a freak accident. If you were to base hie mental prowess on his grades at Wake Forest then he is very intelligent.

HArd to say they are salvaging a dying career when he was playing VERY WELL last season prior to injury. The bottom line is that we are very thin at LBer and PAce has the athleticism and size to play the position. I for one wouldnt bet against him.

I gotta agree the defensive roster would look like this

DEs-Berry, Okeafor, Smith and King
DTs-Clancy, Dockett, Watson and Lewis/Moore
SLB-Dansby, Pace
MLB-Hayes, Darling,
WOLB-Huff and Blackstock

I know a couple of positions need an upgrade in starters, but the depth and versatiliy of this lineup is amazing considering 3 years ago.

Let's hope it translates to wins.

 

[BACH]

We will have to agree to disagree then. But When Pace was healthy he was playing quite often and wa splaying well. If you can go out and get guys like a berry and Okeafor you do it. To me thats really no knock on Pace. He is talented enough to be in the NFL maybe even at LBer.

I agree with you, Shane.

Pace would be a pro-bowl caliber player, if he played in a 3 - 4 scheme.

 

[seesred]

I just came home from thge fan fest and Pace actually looked good at teh LB spot. They had him on first team D when they went 11 vs 11. He looked in great shape and pretty quick. I thought he was coming into his own last year and then something stupid happened.

GBR
40

 

[red desert]

When Dansby came in a few years ago, he said in the paper (I'm paraphrasing of course) "Just put me over the TE and leave me there for the next 10 years."

The dude wants to be a SSLB, he's played very well there, don't mess with it!

Agree.

 

[cardpa]

What about Pace at MLB. He would have the size and quickness to plug a lot of holes. ALmost like having an extra DT playing off the line but faster.

 

[JeffGollin]

After we had signed K. Clancy, I suggested a 3-4 formation with a D line of Berry-Clancy-Dockett and dropping Pace and/or Okeafor back into the LB position with Dansby and Darling, but I was told that was a ridiculous idea. I guess it wasn't so far-fetched after all....

Clancy ran some 3-4 stuff last year.

What you're seeing more and more each year are teams installing both schemes - with one their base and the other for special situations.

More and more - on both sides of the ball - the name of the game is "to have an answer" for every matchup problem the other team gives you.

- We'd better have an answer for a freak of nature like Vernon Davis (Possible solutions - a fast LB like Brandon Johnson or making Adrian his shadow).

- We'd better have an answer for tall physical wideouts (Solution - Adrian Rolle)

- We'd better have an answer for 4.37 wideouts. (Solution: Eric Green, Hunter)

- Unlike last year (when the Giants figured out that the best answer to our light, aggressive defense was to pound away with #27 Brandon Jacobs) we now have some real ballast in the interior of our D-line with the addition of guys like Watson and Lewis .

I think you'll see more 3-4 if that's what the matchups dictate and more 4-3 if the matchups dictate otherwise.

Versatility, flexibility and "false looks" will increasingly be the hallmarks of our defense.

 

[ajcardfan]

When Clancy goes to a 3-4 alignment, it's often more like the old 5-2 defense where the DEs stood up rather than get down in a stance. I think it could be a great fit with Pace's skills.

 

[DakotaCardsFan]

Rookie free agent A.J. Schable played defensive end in college South Dakota, but the Cardinals want to look at him as a blocking fullback.

Woohoo!

 

[WildBB]

When Clancy goes to a 3-4 alignment, it's often more like the old 5-2 defense where the DEs stood up rather than get down in a stance. I think it could be a great fit with Pace's skills.

Very true. Pendergast really likes his 5 man fronts. And Pace and Smith might see some action there.

A line of Okefor,Dockett,Berry with Pace and Smith standing and Dansby and Darling on the outside. Man that would be alot of pressure coming at the opposing team!